BUBBLE FASHION // CREATIVITY // 7 C's

I was instantly fascinated by the work of Central Saint Martin Fashion graduate student, Fredrik Tjaerandsen, whose astonishing graduate runway work went viral and won him a major award after photography and video footage of his work leaked the internet and spread rapidly. The models sent down the runway wore his bubble creations which resembled what could've been a piece of blown up chewing gum, which then released the air encased inside them as they deflated into vibrantly coloured dresses. To create the looks, Tjaerandsen used rubber sourced from a Sri Lankan company where they purchase their rubber from local rubber growers. The smooth fluidity of the dress when deflating and casually transforming into a dress was phenomenal; the runway looked effortless and wasn't like anything I have seen before.

“I have constructed these pieces with an air pressure system that lets the wearer control the air-flow. Whenever the wearer wants to deflate [the outfit] they open a latch inside to release the inverted bubble part and then dives out of the deflating bubble.”

Various different coloured bubbles moved gracefully down the runway, giving me a feeling of nostalgia as I was reminded of Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory when she was blown-up into a blueberry. Watching the runway felt rather strange at first because that the models seemed completely dehumanised when encased in the bubble; their identity was hidden, no visible faces, all walking in the same manner and at the same pace, looking as if they're unable to breathe in the bubbles. Suddenly, when they were revealed, it felt as if the models had come to life; it was like watching the birth of an individual. After my reflection on this, I read the following quote by Tjaerandsen...

“My collection is inspired by an almost indefinable moment when a human’s self-awareness becomes active and sentient, I have strived to develop a process of experimental practice and development through which I could react and create my own expression of this moment and experience of being in that moment.”

The idea of creating work that resembles key points in the development of human character or life inspired me and I think that Tjaerandsen has captured the concept behind his work so accurately, especially though the use of dynamics and colour. I feel that this concept is also one that I can relate to as a human being; I remember the time about three years ago when I truely realised that I had acknowledged my own self-awareness and became more of the person I wanted to really be. I think that this moment of realisation is important for everyone, no matter whether you're a creative individual or not; everyone is there own person. I was even more drawn to Tjaerandsen's work after discovering it's meaning because of this.

The work and thought put into the idea is wowing, especially knowing that the creator, Tjaerandsen, is a university student, which I find inspiring considering his high level of capability and creativity at such an early stage of his career; a stage that I can relate to myself. Tjaerandsen has so far had articles written about him by major companies such as Vogue and The Love Magazine which shows the extent that his recognition has reached. I'd like to see this young, creative designer grow in the fashion industry and I am eager to see his future work.

To watch video footage of the runway to capture the full effect, head to: https://www.instagram.com/fredriktjaerandsen/